Electrical cables are used in a wide variety of applications and in a wide variety of environments, including in hazardous conditions. It is increasingly important, in this regard, for cables to be securely isolated from their surrounding environments, in order to maximize performance of systems utilizing cables and to ensure the safety of individuals in the vicinity of such systems. Points in cable systems that are particularly susceptible to corrosion and leakage from the surrounding environment include connection sites between different cables and sites where cables terminate. Accordingly, the design and configuration of electrical cable connectors which function to terminate and connect cables in most conventional cable systems have become increasingly important for ensuring maximal protection of cables from the surrounding environment. A particularly important feature of electrical connectors, in this regard, is the grounding element, which is crucial for maximizing safety associated with the connector.
There have been many efforts to produce an electrical connector having a grounding element. Such a conventional connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,327, for example, which is incorporated herein by reference.